US President Donald Trump's announcement from Saudi Arabia about the United States easing wide-ranging sanctions on Syria sparked festivities in the capital, Damascus, as Syrians hoped for relief after years of impoverishment by civil war.

President Trump, on a state visit to Saudi Arabia, said he made the decision after speaking to the Saudi crown prince. The president is trying to drum up Saudi investment in the U.S.

President Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will ease sanctions on Syria could eventually facilitate the country’s recovery from years of civil war and transform the lives of everyday Syrians.